The reaction of carbon monoxide with non-conjugated dienes in the presence of a transition metal catalyst is broadly known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,807 relates to production of esters of dicarboxylic acids by reaction of an alkadiene or an alkyne with carbon monoxide and a monohydric alcohol in the presence of, inter alia, a palladium-phosphine complex. U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,617 relates to production of monomeric fatty acids or esters thereof by reacting dienes and hydroxylated co-reactants in the presence of a catalyst formed from a palladium salt, a tertiary phosphorus-containing ligand and a tertiary nitrogen base.
The process of U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,481 relates to the production of a polymeric polyamine/amide containing the nitrogen atoms in the polymeric chain by reaction of dienes with water, a nitrogen compound of at least two active hydrogens and carbon monoxide in the presence of a rhodium-containing catalyst. It would be of advantage to provide such a process for the production of polyesters or polyanhydrides.